A great new resource has arrived on the Atlanta Area Council Website – a Cub Scout Advancement page at www.atlantabsa.org/CubScoutAdvance (also found under Advancement).  Accessible to everyone, this page is a help for parents and leaders by providing a quick and clean overview of all Cub Scout Advancement, from Bobcat through each of the six grade-based ranks.  Each rank page highlights each Adventure required to earn the rank, and provides links to our Adventure by Adventure resource pages for all Adventures in those Ranks.  Those pages have both fun ideas for dens to do as a group and Family-Led Adventure resources for parents to do on their own schedules and in their own safe spaces. 

Whether your Den is meeting (safely) in a den group or by each family doing Scouting on their own time (on demand), this will give leaders and parents alike the ability to deliver a stronger Scouting experience than before.  The over 95 Adventure by Adventure pages include videos, resource website links, “how to” tips and plans for both den and family delivery of these Cub Scout Adventures – including some great new Atlanta content.  There are now 34 Adventures that have new plans for Family-Led Adventure activity.  More content will be added regularly.

So whether your families are Scouting at Home, leading den meetings, or making up for a session you missed, this page is a must-have for leaders and families as they Scout On! 

To help Packs get their word out on Flyers that the Atlanta Area Council will prepare for your Sign-Up Event, we’ve created some templates for “what to put in the flyer” where there is space for information about your Pack and your Sign-Up Event.  Many Packs want to be sure that families get the straight scoop on things like Pack Dues.  

Highlights of the most recent District News were these (click links for information):  Recruiting Step Five: Sign Up Events – What’s Different and What’s the Same ... Congratulations to Alyson Benton and Zena Gray-Adeyemi -- Whitney M. Young Jr. Award Honorees! ... For All Cub Scout Families -- Share Family Fun Fest (This Saturday, August 8, on Facebook LIve) ... and from the prior week:  Steps to Successful Cub Scout Family Recruiting ... Popcorn! Want To Raise Some $$$? ... BeAScout Tips: Suggested Language to Tailor Your Pin and Online Registration ... Opt In, Opt Out ... 

If you like funny pets, rockets, astronauts, and Pinewood Derby cars, then you’ll love Family Fun Fest!  It’s outdoor adventure you can have online!  See https://www.scouting.org/familyfunfest/ for more. 

For Packs ready to recruit in this pandemic present, here’s the current question:  with so many schools opening with remote learning, and other schools (and many churches) restricting in-person gatherings, how do we do Sign Up Events? 

Sign Up Event content will be the same, but Sign Up Event locations will be different.  

• Same Content.  Sign-Up Content covers what families need to know, which is shared at atlantabsa.org/recruitingresources in the Guide to Pack Recruiting: 
• a Welcome and brief Overview of Cub Scouting,
• focusing on your Pack Program and Activity Highlights,
• a brief description of Dens, Handbooks & Advancement,
• a brief recognition of Den Leadership (and how every parent helps),
• plus brief information about Uniforms and Costs and your Pack approach to each. 
• Then pitch for completion of Online Registration through your Online Registration link.  

• Locations Look Different.  Your Sign-Up Event will be different or look different. 
• For most, it will be over a connection like Zoom (or what your families use). 
  • As part of the registration, have parents provide names and emails to create a list of leads – have someone track participants against any advance signup and gather stragglers. 
  • Set up the meeting format with the chat feature at “allow attendees to chat with … host only”
  • See above for Content and assign leaders/parent to make their brief pitches on each.
  • Towards the end, share the Pack’s Online Registration Link that should also be on your BeAScout pin. 
• For a few (very few), it may be in person if it is allowed and if it can be done safely.
  • But because of safety restrictions that begin with physical distancing, it won’t look like last year.
  • Just for starters, those who can do in person events will be more outside and more spread out for safety (for more, see atlantabsa.org/safety-health). 
  • And don’t forget one of the guidance tips at atlantabsa.org/safety-health:  “If we’re allowed and we can do it safely, will people come?”  So even if you can put on a safe in person event, be open to families who would not attend it.  

Content Reminder – a Script for All Events.  In the Guide to Cub Scout Family Recruiting, we’ve included a Script for a Sign-Up Event.  The Guide is attached in both pdf and word at atlantabsa.org/recruitingresources, so you can download and revise the Script to make it just exactly perfect for your Pack.  The Script breaks down the content into topic by topic parts:

• For group presentations, you can assign different volunteers to make the brief pitch (and show that every parent helps – it’s not just the Cubmaster leading Cubs). 
• If you have an in person physically distant “station to station” (whether table to table, or a drive through station to station), those script topics can be delivered at your stations.  

OK, OK, But When Is Our Sign-Up Event?  The short answer is: contact your District Professional (District Director Brandon Dobbins or District Executive Ramon Montgomery).  The longer answer is: contact your District Professional and let your District Professional know that you’ve got a Pack Program ready to pitch and promote and that your BeAScout pin and Online Registration settings are updated – and then set the date, because the District Professional will coordinate with your schools.  There may be “District-wide” or “community-wide” dates set in some areas for stronger promotion of Sign-Up Events. 

What Else Will Your Council Do For You?  As you share with your District Professional that you’ve got a Pack Program ready to pitch and promote, and you set a date, your District Profession will get busy with tasks like: 

• Contacting School Principals and applicable Administrators to gain support of the Sign-Up efforts, including:
• Paper and/or digital flyers through the school
• Buzz-up video to be played during group instruction the day before the Sign-up event
• School e-newsletters with text and links

FYI:  Packs should coordinate with your District Professional to make sure Flyer content and other messages reflect your Pack Program – we want to promote what your Pack will do.

• Geofencing via Facebook by event to promote with National paying for advertising.
• Yard signs to be supplied to packs to get into the community.
• As applicable, Charter Organization marketing via paper and/or flyers 

Bottom Line For Packs:  It’s not too late to develop a Pack Program (including one that supports Family-Led Adventures) that you can pitch and promote now, and at a Sign Up Event you set with your District Professional.  Because the kids in our community need you and need Scouting.  

More support is at https://www.atlantabsa.org/recruitingresources and the related pages.

The national Whitney M. Young, Jr. Service Award is designed to recognize those individuals and corporations who have been instrumental in the development of Scouting for rural, urban, and suburban youth who often face challenging barriers. This award recognizes "unsung heroes," those who do exceptional service for disadvantaged youth.